Oh the pain!

[Fat Old Guy]

I went to a large, council sponsored event today and my brain was hurting after seeing all the uniform errors there.

 

A group of Boy Scouts all wearing the AOL on the left pocket flap which is no longer even the Cub Scout place to wear it.

 

A Scout wearing a Chaplain patch.

 

More misplaced patches than I could count, including an adult who was wearing TWO position patches on his RIGHT sleeve.

[VentureScoutNY]

 

FOG, next time bring some Tylenol! Count to 10...breath in and out...think of a happy place...it will be alright

[Fat Old Guy]

A happy place would be a place where everyone had their patches in the correct locations.

[AnneinMpls]

Awww...but just think of the alternatives...

 

That group of AOL-patch-wearing scouts could have dropped out instead of crossing over.

 

That "chaplain" kid? Could have fried himself dropping acid just because there is no god so why care?

 

That scouter with several position patches? Maybe a few less boys in Scouting.

 

(I understand the desire for proper uniforming - really I do! Breathe....breathe...keep it all in perspective!)

 

Peace out,

Anne in Mpls

[Fat Old Guy]

"That group of AOL-patch-wearing scouts could have dropped out instead of crossing over."

 

If they had dropped out, they wouldn't be wearing Boy Scout patches and red shoulder loops.

 

"(I understand the desire for proper uniforming - really I do! Breathe....breathe...keep it all in perspective!)"

 

I look at it this way, if you are going to let one method slide, you'll let them all slide.

 

 

[NWScouter]

I think we can get so hung up proper uniform because it so visible. You can look and see quickly when someone has a mistake. In the other methods you have to look and observe very closely. No one person or unit is perfect in all the methods all the time. It does not means that we should be not striving for them all the time. You would not berate a young boy that he not showing enough boy lead leadership to lead his patrol but then berate him because his AOL is the wrong place. I think not.

[Fat Old Guy]

" You would not berate a young boy that he not showing enough boy lead leadership to lead his patrol "

 

Maybe we should do that instead of letting the adults pick up the slack. Now you might argue that his patrol should do that but they don't want to rock the boat because none of them want to be patrol leader.

[acco40]

I see boys who earned a rank badge (and they know exactly where it goes!) and three months later it still is not on their shirt. When asked, the usual answer is "My mom hasn't had a chance to sew it on yet." Don't get me started!

[Bob58]

Sew What? I couldn't resist....

 

Some of the newbies might want to Search the Forums for the "Sewing Merit Badge" Or does my memory fail me? Could it be Tailoring, perhaps all who earn Totin' Chip & Paul Bunyan Awards should become Sawyers!

 

From the wings, "Stand back I think he's gonna' blow!"

 

The preceding stream of consciousness was brought to you by the Trieste branch of the Dublin Wanderers Society, -JJ Presiding

 

A Book Never written, "Every leader deserves a properly uniformed Scout" by Need L. Enthred

 

 

[NeilLup]

Were these Scouts with insignia errors wearing Scout trousers. If so, I would be thrilled. My blood pressure spiker is the boys wearing a Scout shirt and blue jeans. That to me is the blatant "in your face" statement concerning the uniform.

[Bob58]

Okay, I think I've got it out of my system.

 

Let's start again. When I attended Commissioner's training one of the presenters told an interesting story. Briefly, he was asked to assist with an Interest Meeting for parents (and boys!) at a brand new Troop. During the course of the evening he made a point of reminding the 20 or 30 parents that "this is a uniformed orgaization and your sons NEED uniforms." (His empahsis!) As he tells the story the new scoutmaster called him to tell him that every one of the twelve boys who came back the next week had uniforms. That's where he ends the story.

 

I was raised w/ manners, but I am not blessed w/ a poker face. I kept my mouth shut by spending the next few minutes skimming through my notebook for a distraction. To this day I wonder... how many boys never joined? did any save the money & join "when they could afford it?"

 

Sorry, I'm not always argumentative but I tell the parents of our cubs that they should check out Cub Scout pants before they buy another pair of blue dress pants for their son. (Yes, I tell them the school pants will be fine until the boy grows out of them.)

 

I'm afraid I might needd to spin off a new thread.

 

Bob

[FScouter]

Only 12 of 30 boys joined after the being told they NEED a uniform? It's a good thing they weren't told they NEED a handbook, or they NEED to pay dues, or they NEED to attend meetings, and the parents NEED to participate. You'd have been lucky to get even one boy to sign up. Moral of the story is to ditch the uniform so more boys will sign up??

[LovetoCamp]

Is the uniform the reason or just an excuse for someone not joining? For two cartons of Lucky Filters and two cases of Pepsi the kid can be fully uniformed. There's no reason that the VAST majority of American kids can't afford to be fully uniformed. The GDP of the Black community in America makes it the equivalent of the World's 16th wealthiest nation. 22% of the Black Community live at or near the poverty level. The poverty line hovering around $20,000 for a family of four, which is three times the amount I made at my first full time job after high school.

 

Me thinks, parents that refuse to by a uniform and book for their kids, make a lot of other bad choices regarding their kids also.

 

 

[Fat Old Guy]

"If so, I would be thrilled. My blood pressure spiker is the boys wearing a Scout shirt and blue jeans."

 

Blue jeans don't bother me 1/10 as much as I am by the current "gangsta" baggy pants with the back pockets that are down by the knees and the legs dragging on the ground. What about sweat pants? Ugh!

[Fat Old Guy]

How many kids are kept out of sports because their parents are told that they need a uniform?

 

"The poverty line hovering around $20,000 for a family of four"

 

I know poor families that are POOR and watch every cent to make sure that it gets to the right destination, astoundingly they rarely complain about money. I also know poor families that manage to afford their Lucky filters, Pepsi by the case and bottled water and they are always complaining about being poor. One woman won't pay $10 for a bike helmet for her daughter (too expensive) but has a cell phone and uses it about as often as I breathe.